Child Support and Maintenance
The Child Support Agency deals with the financial support for a child where the child is under 16 or under 19 and in full-time secondary education.
Only non-resident parents can be required to pay child support through the Child Support Agency . Child support is based on a percentage of the non-resident parent's net income as follows:
However, these figures will be modified if the non-resident parent has one or more other children living with him/her, or if the relevant child spends 52 or more nights per year with the non-resident parent.
The Courts have jurisdiction to make Orders for child maintenance in limited circumstances, for example, if one of the parents is not resident in England and Wales, for a step-child, for a child in tertiary education, or where there is a Child Support Agency calculation but the non-resident parent's net income is so high that it exceeds the CSA scale. The Court can also make Orders in respect of school fees.